Flaming Darts

I am reading through a classic book by John Bunyan called Pilgrim’s Progress.  It is an old book, but worth reading, for sure!  The book is a metaphorical journey of a Christian through life from the moment of faith until he reaches the “celestial city”…Last night I was reading a section that describes Christian’s battle with Satan and all of his temptations and accusations.  John Bunyan borrows some metaphorical language from the Apostle Paul and describes Satan’s attacks as “flaming darts of the evil one…”  That got me thinking – so, read the passage from Ephesians and let’s think through some of this together.

Ephesians 6:10-20

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. ¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; ¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, ¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ¹⁹ and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel,²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.

Things to think about:

·         Stop and look at how the Devil is described in this passage and what he is doing…”schemes of the devil” “flaming darts of the evil one” Satan is on the offensive, seeking your destruction.  He is actively searching out ways to pull you down, distract you, discourage you, tempt you, and defeat you!  The question for us today is this…what are we doing in response?

·         What are we supposed to do?  What does our passage say?  “be strong” “Put on the whole armor of God” “stand” “wrestle” “withstand” “pray” and probably much more…notice you don’t see words like, “hide, run, flee, surrender, etc)

·         Here is a practical question for you – What are Satan’s “flaming darts” in your life?  What is he using to seek your destruction?  If we can’t see what they are, how effective will our defense really be?  A soldier that doesn't know where the danger is coming from is going to have a difficult time defending himself!

·         I know a lot of sermons and lessons are taught from this passage and it is fun to think about dressing up in a bunch of armor and being in “The Lord’s Army” or something…but what is Paul really getting at? 

·         Are you ready for Satan’s attacks?  Will you recognize the temptation to lust, greed, bitterness, un-forgiveness, hatred, laziness, etc. as flaming darts from the evil one?  Will you see your struggle with other people, your struggle with sin, your temptations, as attacks that you must stand against with the power from God and by the “strength of his might?” 

·         Metaphors are great to teach us about reality, but let us not get lost in the metaphor.  Our battle in this life is very much real and we must recognize our enemy, as well as the strength of the one in which we serve! 

You are quite wrong!

Dear Everyone,

Have you noticed lately that you don’t hear many people say things like: “that is wrong” or “that is absolutely not true.”  It is normally softened by saying things like, “well, I can see how you might think that, but I don’t think that is actually true…” or “that is your opinion, but my opinion is…”.  It seems hard for us to just tell people they are wrong, doesn't it?  Maybe this is a good thing because we certainly don’t want to be arrogant know-it-all’s that claim we have the corner on all truth, but are there times when we should be a little more secure in our understanding of right and wrong?  Truth or Lie?  Today I want to look at a passage from the gospel of Mark when Jesus has a conversation with some religious leaders.  My favorite line is at the end of the passage when Jesus says plainly: “You are quite wrong.”  Let’s find out what was so wrong.

Mark 12:18-27

¹⁸ And Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection. And they asked him a question, saying, ¹⁹ “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies and leaves a wife, but leaves no child, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. ²⁰ There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no offspring. ²¹ And the second took her, and died, leaving no offspring. And the third likewise. ²² And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman also died. ²³ In the resurrection, when they rise again, whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.”

²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? ²⁵ For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. ²⁶ And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? ²⁷ He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

Things to think about:

·         The Sadducees were a religious group back in Jesus’ day that did not believe in any form of resurrection from the dead.  They didn't like Jesus because he taught outrageous things like, “I am the resurrection and the life…”  They did not want to listen to Jesus and resented the fact that the people seemed to like Him so much.  The Sadducees were interested in power and control while Jesus was interested in Truth and love and salvation. 

·         The question they ask was designed to prove their point that there must not be a resurrection, because the system that God set up for marriage and the laws he gave to the Israelites about marrying your dead brother’s wife in order to continue the bloodline don’t work once your dead.

·         They were picturing a resurrection back to earth where it was business as usual, but just with a new body (much like the resurrection of Lazarus)  Jesus has something else in mind when he talks about resurrection. 

·         Jesus blows up their whole argument by pointing out they have the wrong picture of resurrection in their mind.  They are thinking to small. 

·         For a better picture of resurrection I encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

·         Here is a question for us today.  What arguments do you bring to God?  We can read the Bible and hear about His promises and all the wonderful things he has for us and then look around at nothing but pain and trouble.  We come to Jesus with our objections…”Ok, Jesus, if what you are saying is really true then what about…and fill in the blank with your own doubts, questions, and arguments.”  Listen to Jesus today and hear him say, “You are thinking too small – God has this under control, you have not thought of anything that surprises God, and yes those promises are still true – you are quite wrong!  Be encouraged that we are wrong about our doubts and arguments of logic that we like to throw out at God as if He didn't know what He was doing.  Trust Him today, for He is always trustworthy!

Mercy and Prayer

What do you do when Jesus doesn't give you what you want?  Many times we pray, but don’t seem to get what we were hoping for, so we think God failed us, God didn't hear us, or God doesn't love us.  We here promises from the Bible like: “Whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 22:21) and we think we either don’t have faith – or this verse just isn't true.  What do we do then?  The answer to these questions would probably take more than what I am prepared to offer here, but let me use one story from the gospel of Matthew to illustrate one truth about the gifts of Jesus.

Matthew 8:28-34

²⁸ And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”³⁰ Now a herd of many pigs was feeding at some distance from them. ³¹ And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.” ³² And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. ³³ The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, especially what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.

Things to think about:

·         I know you might be thinking, “what does this story have to do with prayer?”  but think about it with me…

o   Jesus shows up in an area where two demon possessed men had so frightened and ravaged the area that people stopped going that way.  That land had been taken over by an enemy that no one new how to deal with.  The land was a waste, too frightening to even enter into because of these demons.  Yet, that is where Jesus chose to go – coincidence?  I don’t think so…

o   When the demons come to confront Jesus they are not bold and arrogant looking for a fight.  They are now the frightened ones and they recognize the absolute authority that Jesus has over them and all things. 

o   What do they ask?  Would you say the demons asked for mercy?  “please don’t torment us before the given time, but let us go over there to those pigs…” and what happened to the demons after the pigs jumped into the water who knows, but the point is that Jesus answered their request!  He, who could have done anything with those demons, answers their request for mercy with a simple, “go.”  Why?  Why give in to demons?  Why meet their request?  (the simple answer is because Jesus wanted to and because it fit in with His plans and timing)

o   After the demons leave what happens?  The people get their land back!  The fear is gone!  The danger has left!  But, at what cost?  Some pigs…and to the people in that region the price was too high.

o   So what do they ask of Jesus?  What is their prayer?  “Please go way”…does Jesus answer their prayer request?  Yes, he gets in a boat and goes to another city (see ch.9) 

o   So, I guess here is one observation that may help us in our discussion of prayer.  When we ask for mercy – God grants mercy because He is merciful – but, His mercy may not always make sense to us in the moment.  Let us not be like the Gadarenes’ and when Jesus brings mercy we send him away.